Arlington’s Crime Rate Increased in 2013

(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) Arlington County’s crime rate increased last year over 2012, but rapes and burglaries decreased and there were no reported murders.

The crime rate in 2013 increased 3.06 percent, according to a press release issued this afternoon. An uptick in aggravated assaults, robberies and larcenies accounted for the overall crime rate jump.

There were 4,209 Part I offenses — rapes, burglaries, robberies aggravated assaults and larcenies — in 2013, up from 4,084 in 2012. Aggravated assaults increased 33 percent from 2012, police said, due in part to the increased frequency of domestic strangulation reports. The increase coincided with a new Virginia law, passed in 2012, that made strangulation a Part I offense.

“My continued gratitude to the dedicated men and women who keep our community safe through both prevention and enforcement efforts,” Donnellan said in the press release. “Their commitment to — and partnership with — our community is critical to our success.”

Despite the increase, the 2013 crime rate remained below the peak crime rate, in recent years, of 2010, when there were 4,771 Part I offenses in the county.